Great Product; Easy to Use; Patience Needed w/ Software Install

Overall:5 out of 5

Value:

Quality:

Being a first-time user of any oscilloscope, I was a bit intimidated by the unknown "How-To's" (how to use the scope, where to hook it up to, worried about overloading it if the settings are wrong, etc). However, I found the scope very easy to use. The downloaded User Manual is not as thorough as it should be, especially for a novice user such as myself. Two items in particular bothered me with the Manual.

1.) The screen-shots (Install New Hardware Wizard) concerning software installation steps are handy, but the steps regarding installing the software drivers were misleading. I used my own PC experience to divert from the instructions, obtaining a successful installation. Patience needs to be adhered to during the installation; my PC hung (void of hard drive activity) for a full 2 minutes before giving the "Your hardware is installed and ready to use" message. I was at the point of doing a Ctrl-Alt-Del, but my gut feeling told me to just sit still and wait. ...alas, Install was Finally Done.2.) The Manual specifically states how to calibrate/compensate the probes under the "Probe Menu". Well, the "Probe-Menu" doesn't exist. You just calibrate the probes via the default screen, using the settings provided. But once installed, the Scope is friendly to use. It has neat advanced settings which I'll explore via trial-and-error method. The menu also has numerous preset icons for automobile vehicle applications such as measuring sensors. One click and it presets all the settings. Changing them is simply a matter of choice depending on what you're measuring; but it gets you started quicker than having to manually set everything from a default screen. I haven't used all the features yet, but I doubt any disappointment.

Physically, it looks like a solid unit. I was suprised as not to see a "Power" button. There's no way to turn it on or off unless you hook up an inline switch to the power cord, or just plug it in/out. I realize most of this review is negative and I gave it 5-stars... Once you get over the hurdle of software installation and the User Manual which could be a bit more informative, it's a great procuct - Really!

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